1972 Ducati 750 GT
Summary:
The finest performance bike of its generation
Faults:
The voltage regulator failed and it was rather hard to find a replacement.
One of the coils failed.
The Amal carburetors wore badly and leaked air, making it impossible to tune.
General Comments:
This was a very early example with the fibreglass fuel tank. The round case bevel engine is the loveliest piece of mechanical art ever put in a motorcycle frame. It looks like a slice of a 30's aviation radial!
It had Contis which sounded like armageddon. The most wonderful sounding motorcycle I've ever heard.
The super torquey engine pulled beautifully and made it a joy to ride. In its day, this was the hottest motorcycle money could buy. After riding a 1967 Triumph Bonneville for years, it was an absolute revelation. It is on a whole other level in terms of handling stability and performance. The frame is the most solid of its era.
It does feel very long and high, and with shockingly little steering lock, it's a real handful at low speeds. Until you get used to it, you are always whacking the steering to the lock and then having to stick out your leg to keep from falling over.
On the open road it's just a joy. It feels soooo stable on very high speed corners. Trying this on a contemporary Japanese bike would be absolutely terrifying. It really outclasses anything from the 70's, except maybe a Guzzi V7 sport or LeMans, but the Ducati engine is in a class by itself.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th July, 2006
8th Aug 2006, 04:25
This rings true.
I have a 1974 750 sport, and it's essentially the same engine with slightly bigger valves and a more aggressive cam and Del'Orto 32mm pumper carbs.
My bike is a complete handful at slow speeds, but get onto a sweeping main road and it's simply staggering. The combination of the sweetest engine that pulls like a train and makes the most colossal noise (try throttling back in a narrow street in France for maximum pleasure to you and discomfort for the residents).
Long wheelbase makes it amazingly stable in fast turns. So much more precise than the modern, short based equivalents on their fat tyres.